🔗 Share this article

Based in Melbourne
Ideal listening for those who enjoy the C86 compilation, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, atmospheric pop
Newest project The compilation 'Going Back to Sleep' is currently released

The artist known as DJ Moopie, real name Matthew Xue, from Melbourne, is renowned for deeply absorbing musical journeys that effortlessly shift between gelid ambient music to churning drum'n'bass and beyond. He is also the founder of A Colourful Storm – a remarkable DIY imprint that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to releasing quirky and introspective pop experiments, with contributors ranging from London-based percussionist Valentina Magaletti, the dub-infused sounds of Hobart pair Troth, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner.

The label's 2017 release was I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which also functions as a succinct overview to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts currently working. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is one of the year’s underrated gems, present Time, a sprawling, seven-minute meditation featuring melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, venture into beat-driven, psychedelic-infused easy listening on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, one of Melbourne's best new bands, blend influences from the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.

On other parts of the compilation, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from San Francisco indie stalwarts the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. This is a modest collection that’s destined to be deeply cherished and often cited for aficionados of art that is gentle and profoundly emotional.

The Top New Releases This Week

Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and it is superbly executed: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz with Flea calling for peace and love. “I’m not being corny – this shit is real!”

Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
After securing this year's Oscar for Best Original Score, one could envision Blumberg earning the Best Original Song award in 2026 thanks to this remarkable collaboration with Amanda Seyfried featured on the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.

Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas paints in every shade of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, in which minimal hints of piano and woodwind colour her weary disappointment.

Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this Madrid-based cellist’s gothic masterpiece with industrial shades on the soundtrack to Dune, due to its seismic drum work, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies and cataclysmic majesty.

Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Imaginative Austrian producer-vocalist teams up with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo to deliver pounding ghettotech: the beats are absolutely crushing but the melody is almost dream-pop.

Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Included on the latest mixtape, Amnesia, UK rapper Jawnino rides varied cloud-rap beats from Surf Gang, with this song standing as a peak moment, Jawnino sharp and fully engaged as he observes the landscape of drug dealing.

Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this song with a garage vibe propels itself forward at a self-determined tempo, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the Austin musician’s dazed reverie about how “the moon returns the spirit to me”.